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UN Panel of Experts report on accountability, 2011
A UN-appointed panel estimated up to 40,000 civilian deaths in the war's final phase and called for independent investigation.
What happened
In 2011, a UN Panel of Experts reported that credible sources estimated as many as 40,000 civilian deaths in the war's final phase, and recommended an independent international investigation.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: A three-member Panel of Experts appointed by the UN Secretary-General in June 2010 reported in 2011 that credible sources had estimated as many as 40,000 civilian deaths in the war's final phase, attributing a large majority of these to indiscriminate shelling by Sri Lankan armed forces of an area the government had itself designated a "No Fire Zone"; the Panel, which was not permitted to visit Sri Lanka, recommended an independent international investigation into alleged violations of international law by both parties. This estimate and these findings are presented here as the Panel's own attributed assessment, not as an independently adjudicated casualty count.
- Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka (United Nations) link, Civilian Casualties and Accountability Recommendations sections. Source record